冲击波专四听写100篇

Passage 1 Professor Bumble

Professor Bumble is not only absent-minded but short-sighted as well. /His mind is always busy with learned thoughts and he seldom notices what is going on around him./

On a fine day recently he went for a walk in the countryside. /But as always he read the book as he walked. /He hadn't gone far when he ran into a large cow and fell down./ He had lost his spectacles in the fall, and he thought he had stumbled over a fat lady. /"I beg your pardon, madam," he said politely before searching for his glasses./ As soon as he had put the glasses on，he realized his mistake./

Soon he was concentrating on his book again and paying no attention to anything else./ He had scarcely been walking for five minutes when he fell over again,/ losing both his book and his glasses. /This time he became very angry./ Seizing his umbrellas, he struck the "cow" in anger. /Then, after finding his glasses, he realized with horror that he had made a second mistake. /A large fat woman was running away from him in terror./

Passage 2 Teamwork

Teamwork is just as important in science/ as it is on the playing field or in the gym./ Scientific investigations are almost always carried out by teams of people working together./ Ideas are shared, experiments are designed, data are analyzed, /and results are evaluated and shared with other investigators./ Group work is necessary and is usually more productive than working alone./ Several times throughout the year you may be asked to work with one or more of your classmates. /Whatever the task your group is assigned, /a few rules need to be followed to ensure a productive and successful experience/

What comes first is to keep an open mind/because everyone's ideas deserve consideration /and each group member can make his or her own contribution./ Secondly, it makes a job easier to divide the group task among all group members./ Thirdly, always work together, take turns, and encourage each other by listening, clarifying and trusting one another. /Mutual support and trust often make a great difference. /

Passage 3 Mistakes Are Good Teachers

After the birth of my second child, I got a job at a restaurant. Having worked with an experienced waitress for a few days, I was allowed to wait tables on my own. When Saturday night came, I was luckily given the tables not far from the kitchen. However, I still felt a little hard to carry the heavy trays. So I moved slowly, minding every step. I remember how happy I was when I saw the tray standing next the tables. It looked different from the one I was trained on. It had nice handles which made it easier to move around. I was pleased with everything and began to believe I was a natural at this job. Then, an old man came to me and said that was his wife’s walker. I stood frozen as ice, but my face was on fire. Since then, I have learned to be more careful and not to be too sure of myself.

Passage 4 Time Has the Power to Change Attitude

Last week, my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home.

My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and family but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him; as a school girl and young adult, I feared him and felt bitter about him.

On the first day of my visit, we did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around?

The next day, my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closet to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father.

Passage 5 Experiences Speak

There are many different ways of seeing a town for the first time. One of them is to walk around it, guidebook in hand. Of course, we may study with our guidebooks the history and special developments of a town and get to know them. But then, if we take out time and stay in a town for a while, we may get to know it better. When we look it as a whole, we begin to have some questions, which even the best guidebooks do not answer. Why is the town just like this, this shape, this plan, this size?

Here even the best guide-book fails us. We can’t find in it the information about how a town has developed to the present appearance. However, we may get some idea of what it used to look like by walking around the town. A personal visit to a town may help one better understand why it is attractive than just reading about it in a guidebook.

Passage 6 Representatives of Civilization: Pottery

Ancient people made clay pottery because they needed it for their survival. They used the pots they made for cooking, storing food, and carrying things from place to place. Pottery was so important to early cultures that scientists now study it to learn more about ancient civilizations. The more advanced the pottery in terms of decoration, materials, glazes and manufacture, the more advanced the culture itself. The artisan who makes pottery in North America today utilizes his or her skill and imagination to create items that are beautiful as well as al, transforming something ordinary into something special and unique. The potter uses one of the Earth's most basic materials, clay. Clay can be found almost anywhere. Good pottery clay must be free from all small stones and other hard materials that would make the potting process difficult. The most important tools potters use are their own hands; however, they also use wire loop tools, wooden modeling tools, plain wire, and sponges.

Passage 7 Words Can Make a Difference

On August 26, 1999, New York City was struck by a terrible rainstorm during the morning rush hour that caused the streets to flood.

Many people who were going to work were forced to go home. Some battled to call a taxi, get a bus or walk miles to get to work. I soon discovered most of the subway lines had stopped service.

I finally found an operatin g line, but there were so many people that I couldn’t initially get to the platform. Finally, I got to my office, wet through, and exhausted.

After an unenjoyably day, Garth, my Director, sent an e-mail to everyone:

“Thanks to everyone who reported to work. It is always reassuring when employees show their devotion to their jobs. Thank you.‖

Garth’s email was short，but welcomed. It made me realize that even when times are tough, a few words can make a big difference.

Passage 8 Fairy Tales

Tales of the supernatural are common in all parts of Britain. In particular, there was a belief in fairies. Not all of these fairies are the friendly, people-loving sprites that appear in Disney films, and in some folktales they are cruel and cause much human suffering. This is true in the tales about the Changeling. These tell the story of a mother whose baby grows sick and pale and has changed so much that it is almost unrecognizable to the parents. It was then feared that the fairies

had come and stolen the baby away and replaced the human baby with a fairy Changeling. In those cases there was often a way to get the real baby back. You could place the Changeling on the fire--then it would rise up the chimney, and you would hear the sound of fairies’ laughter and soon after you would find your own child safe and sound nearby.

Passage 9 Self-Image

Self-image is your own mind’s picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.

It might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can’t move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. The best way to get rid of a negative serf-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those, you will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image.

Passage 10 Shopaholics

The word addiction usually makes you think of alcohol or drugs, but in modern-day society we are seeing some new kinds of addictions. Some people are compulsive shoppers. Others find it impossible to pull themselves away from their work. Still others spend countless hours watching TV or playing computer games.

Over the years, shopping has become a very common activity. Many people enjoy going to malls or stores more and more every day, but it’s more than a common hobby for some of them. They have turned into shopaholics. They are people who simply enjoy shopping and walking around spending money without being able to stop doing it. They are hooked on shopping and usually buy things that they don’t need. Even though they don’t have enough money, they buy everythi ng they want.

Why do they have this addiction? There isn’t a specific answer. Some people go shopping when they are sad, worried, upset or lonely. Some even tend to have this addiction when they feel guilty.

Passage 11 Time Management

Time is something from which we can’t escape. Even if we ignore it, it’s still going by, ticking away, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour. So the main issue in using your time well is, ―Who’s in charge?‖ We can allow time to slip by and let it be our enemy. Or we can take control of it and make it our ally.

By taking control of how you spend your time, you’ll increase your chances of becoming a more successful student. Perhaps more importantly, the better you are at managing the time you devote to your studies, the more time you will have to spend on your outside interests.

The aim of time management is not to schedule every moment so we become slaves of a timetable that governs every waking moment of the day. Instead, the aim is to make informed choices as to how we use our time.

Passage 12 Charity Shops

The charity shop is a British institution, selling everything from clothes to electric goods, all at very good prices. You can get things you won't find in the shops anymore. The thing I like best

about them is that your money is going to a good cause and not into the pockets of profit-driven companies, and you are not damaging the planet, but finding a new home for unwanted goods. Most of the people working in the charity shops are volunteers, although there is often a manager who gets paid. Over 90% of the goods in the charity shops are donated by the public.

The shops have very low running costs: all profits go to charity work. Charity shops raise more than ￡110 million a year, funding medical research, overseas aid, supporting sick and poor children, homeless and disabled people, and much more.

Passage 13 Passive Learning

We can achieve knowledge either actively or passively. We achieve it actively by direct experience, by testing and proving an idea, or by reasoning. We achieve knowledge passively by being told by someone else. Most of the learning that takes place in the classroom and the kind that happens when we watch TV or read newspapers or magazines is passive. Conditioned as we are to passive learning, it's not surprising that we depend on it in our everyday communication with friends and co-workers.

Unfortunately, passive learning has a serious problem. It makes us tend to accept what we are told even when it is little more than hearsay and rumor.

That's what happens in daily life. The simple fact that people repeat a story in their own words changes the story. Then, too, most people listen imperfectly. And many enjoy adding their own creative touch to a story, trying to improve on it, stamping it with their own personal style. Yet those who hear it think they know.

Passage 14 Different ―Styles‖ of Directions

I travel a lot, and I find out different ―styles‖ of directions every time I ask ‖How can I get to the post office?‖

In Japan, people use landmarks in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, ―Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.‖

In the countryside of the American Midwest, instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. For example, people will say, ―Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.‖

People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. ―How far away is the post office?‖ you ask. ―Oh,‖ they answer, ―it’s about five minutes from here.‖ You say, ―Yes, but how many miles away is it?‖ They don’t know.

Passage 15 Rain Forests

Rainforests are the lungs of the planet – storing vast quantities of carbon dioxide and producing a significant amount of the world’s oxygen. Rainforests have their own perfect system for ensuring their own survival; the tall trees make a canopy of branches and leaves which protect themselves, smaller plants, and the forest animals from heavy rain, intense dry heat from the sun and strong winds.

Amazingly, the trees grow in such a way that their leaves and branches, although close together, never actually touch those of another tree. Scientists think this is a deliberate tactic to prevent the spread of any tree diseases and make life more difficult for leaf-eating insects.

They are not called rainforests for nothing! Rainforests can generate 75% of their own rain. At least 80 inches of rain a year is normal – and in some areas there may be as much as 430 inches of rain annually. This is real rain. In just two hours, streams can rise ten to twenty feet.

Passage 16 Juana Lopez’s Invention

One day, Juana Lopez had an idea for a dish washing machine that worked without using water. She went to see several dish washer manufacturers about producing the machine, but none of them were interested. Joanna found investors to support her idea and founded her own production company. She spent millions of dollars on developing her dish washer, and it was lunched three years later. From then on, sales were very good, better even than Joanna had hopped. But Global Domestic, one of the companies that she has been to, made its own waterless dish washer. Joanna obtained one and found they use the technical ideas she had developed. She had obtained legal protection for these ideas so that other companies could not use them. After a long legal process, glob domestic was forced to stop making its competing dish washer and to pay Joanna several million dollars. Now Joanna’s waterless dish washer has 40℅of the worldwide dish washer market, and this is increasing every year.

Passage 17 Rising Sea Level

Latest research predicts that the global sea level is expected to rise 9 to 88 centimeters by 2100, with a ―best estimate‖ of 50 centimeters. This is due to global warming which is causing the ice caps to melt.

This great rise of close to one meter would threaten huge areas of low-lying coastal land as well as major cities such as London, New York and Tokyo.

In many places, 50 centimeters would see entire beaches being washed away. On low-lying pacific islands, the highest point is only two or three meters above the current sea level. If the sea level was to rise by 50 centimeters, big parts of these islands would disappear under the water. Even if they remain above the sea, many island nations will have their supplies of drinking water reduced because sea water will pollute their freshwater.

There are also tens of millions of people living in low-level coastal areas of southern Asia, such as the coastline of Pakistan and India, who would be in danger.

Passage 18 What Is a Father?

A father is a person who is forced to endure childbirth without an anesthetic. He growls when he feels good and laughs very loud when he is scared half-to-death.

A father never feels entirely worthy of the worship in a child's eyes. He is never quite the hero his daughter thinks. Never quite the man his son believes him to be. And this worries him sometimes.

A father is a person who goes to war sometimes and would run the other way except that war is part of an important job in his life, which is making the world better for his children than it has been for him.

I don’t know there father goes when he dies, but I’ve an idea that, after a good rest, where it is he won't just sit on a cloud and wait for the girl he's loved and the children she bore. He'll be busy there too repairing the stars, oiling the gates, improving the streets, smoothing the way. Passage 19 Little Boy’s Big Idea

The Intellectual Property Owner Association (IPO) is running a project to encourage young inventors. Samuel Houghton, a five-year-old boy has become the youngest Briton to hold a patent after watching his father struggling in the garden. Samuel developed a garden tool after watching his father Mark use two brushes to sweep up leaves outside their house. His father used a large brush to gather leaves and small branches, and then got a small brush to pick up what was left. Samuel came up with the idea for a labor-saving tool, which has been patented and named the Improved Broom.

It is a simple idea that combines two ordinary brooms with different-sized bristles and brush-heads to enable different-sized dirt to be swept up more efficiently. ―The small one gets the first bits and the one at the back gets those left behind, Samuel explains.

The IPO says that Samuel is its youngest known patent holder.

Passage 20 Cultural Differences

Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. Different cultures emphasize the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in "small talk", usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job.

In many European countries—like the UK or France—people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office.

Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar value; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decision more quickly.

Passage 21 Stress

Stress is what you feel when you react to pressure, either from the outside world or from inside yourself. Stress is a normal reaction for people of all ages.

Most people think that pressure is always a bad thing. In fact, a little bit of stress is good. Without stress, most of us couldn’t push ourselves to do well, especially in difficult things.

People usually complain about feeling pressed for time when they are under certain pressure. It is true that you can’t always control the things that are stressi ng you out, but you can control how you react to them. The way you feel about things results from the way you think about things. If you change how you think, you can change the way you feel. Try the following tips to deal with your stress:

Make a list of the things that are causing your stress.

Give yourself an excuse.

Don't promise to do things you can't do or don't want to do.

Find someone to talk to.

Passage 22 Love is a telephone

Love is a telephone which is always silent when you are hoping for a call, but rings when you are not ready for it. As a result, we often miss the love coming from the other end.

Love is a telephone which is seldom program-controlled or directly dialed. You cannot get an immediate answer with a simple ―hello‖, let alone go deep into your lover’s heart with one call. Usually it has to be relayed by an operator, and you have to wait patiently.

Love is a telephone that is always busy. When you are ready to dial for love, you only find, to your disappointment, the line is already being used by someone else.

Love is a telephone, but it is difficult to know when to dial. You will miss the opportunity if your call is either too early or too late.

Passage 23 Jealousy

The experience of jealousy varies enormously from age to age, from culture to culture, from couple to couple, from person to person, and can be different within the same person from time to time. In the United States, there has been a change of attitude toward jealousy in recent years. ―Normal‖ jealousy, which has been se en as an inevitable accompaniment of love and support of

marriage, has come to be seen by some as evidence of personal insecurity and weakness in the relationship, and therefore a threat to the partnership.

Most jealous flashes come from feeling left out of an activity involving your partner and another person or other people. When your partner pays attention to another, your first reaction is to note that they are ―in‖ and you are ―out‖. You feel excluded, ignored, unappreciated.

This kind of experience is not uncommon, and dealing with it gracefully is part of the etiquette of our time.

Passage 24 Differences Between Television and Radio Announcers

When television first began to expand, very few of people who had become famous as radio announcers were able to be equally effective on television. Some of the difficulties they experienced when they were trying to adapt themselves to the new medium were technical. When working on radio, for example, they had become accustomed to seeing on behalf of the listener. This art of seeing for others means that the commentator has to be very good at talking.

In the case of television, however, the announcer sees everything with the viewer. His role, therefore, is completely different. He is there to make sure that the viewer does not miss some point of interest, to help him focus on particular things, and to help him understand the images on the television screen. Unlike his radio colleague, he must know the value of silence and how to use it, at those moments when the pictures speak for themselves.

Passage 25 The African Elephant

The African elephant, the largest land animal remaining on earth, is of great importance to African ecosystem. As a big plant-eater, it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna surroundings in which it lives, setting the terms of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat.

It is the elephant's great desire for food that makes it a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat. In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day, it kills small trees and underbushes, and pulls branches off big trees. This results in numerous open spaces in both deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas.

What worries scientists now is that the African elephant has become an endangered species. If the elephant disappears, scientists say, many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forest and savanna, greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem.

Passage 26 Operations on the Brain

It is difficult for doctors to help a person with a damaged brain. Without enough blood, the brain lives for only three to five minutes.

Dr. White thinks doctors should try to make the brain very cold. If it is very cold, the brain can live without blood for 30 minutes. This gives the doctors a longer time to do something for the brain.

Dr. White tried his idea on 13 monkeys. First he taught them to do different jobs. Then he operated on them. He made the monkeys' blood go through a machine which cooled the blood, and then sent the blood back to the monkeys' brains. When the brain temperature was 50 degrees, Dr. White stopped the blood to the brain. After 30 minutes he turned the blood back on. He warmed the blood again. After their operations the monkeys were like they were before. They were healthy and busy. Each one could still do the jobs the doctor had taught them.

Passage 27 Depression

The dictionary describes depression as the state of feeling very sad, anxious and hopeless. The

question here is why one gets depressed. Is it the inability to deal with the situation or the high stress levels that come with success or failure?

Life is full of twists and turns. Some are pleasant and some are not so pleasant, and sometimes even terrible. No one has a lack of problems in his or her life. Everyone has a personal set of problems.

Even the people who constantly have a smile on their faces have problems. The only difference is that they know how to deal with the problems and smile about the fact that they can overcome them.

Seasonal changes are the main reason for depression in nature. Change is unavoidable. It may happen in nature or in life, but the way the change makes us feel is subjective1. They differ from person to person, along with the ways we deal with them.

Feeling depression is a normal phenomenon2, but letting it overtake3 us completely is not the best thing. There are no specific rules or concepts to deal with it. Whatever way a person feels is the best way to deal with it should be adopted, but be sure it will not hurt another person.

Passage 28 White Noise

There are different kinds of noise with distinct frequencies that are classified by color，namely: white noise, pink noise, brown noise, blue noise, and gray noise. Below is an overview of white noise.

Generally speaking, white noise is a part of the full scale of sound frequencies a human ear can recognize. White noise is a mixture of sound frequencies in equal levels. It is a very quiet sound that is relaxing and pleasant to the ears of anyone. A number of people say that it is similar to the sound of the rain or the ocean waves.

White noise offers countless benefits. The noise comes in different forms that serve different purposes. Some white noise works better than others for particular uses. Some people may find some white noise sounds more pleasing than others. Moreover, white noise is said to have a more calming effect than music does.

Passage 29 Cell Phone

Nowadays, with the rapid development of IT and information industry,/ cell phones play a dominant role in people’s life. /On the one hand, the mobile phone is portable and convenient. /Being wireless, you can carry them everywhere with great ease. /You can reach a person wherever and however far away he is./ On the other hand, it is a friend indeed./ Whenever you come across trouble, you can call for help immediately./

However, just as every coin has two sides,/ the cell phone also has its many disadvantages. /Some people complain that mobile phones give unpleasant noise on some important occasions/ when the owner forgets to turn them off. /And it also cuts into people’s spare time,/ because with the mobile phone the boss can easily reach them and call them to duty during their spare time. /Worst of all, the electromagnetic wave emitted from the phone is said to be harmful to people’s health/ and does often cause headaches to the owner./

Passage 30 Facing the Enemies Within

We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Maybe some of your fears are brought on by your own experiences, by what someone has told you, by what you’ve read in the papers. Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy your ambitions, fortunes, relationships, and even life.

Another enemy we face is indecision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity and enterprise. It will

steal your chances for a better future.

The third enemy inside is doubt. Sure you can’t believe everything. But don’t let doubt take over you. It will destroy your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart.

Also, there are indifference, worry and over caution that you should do battle with. Be courageous in your life and in your pursuit of the things you want and the person you want to become. Passage 31 The tower of London

In 1078, King William began to build a large stone building on the north bank of the Thames River and named it the Tower of London. The tower was finished 20 years later.

Around 1240, King Henry III made it his home. He painted the tower white, and widened the grounds to include a church, a great hall and other buildings.

In 1381, Richard II became King of England. A group of farmers attacked the tower. In the end, Richard was forced to give up his power to Henry IV.

Queen Elizabeth was held prisoner in the tower for two months by Queen Mary, her half-sister. She was set free on May 19, 1554, and in 1558 became the Queen of England.

In I603, part of the tower became a museum. A lot of royal jewels were kept in the tower for visitors to see. The tower has been a place of interest in London ever since. (158 words) Passage 32 Can’t

"Can't" is the worst word that can be written or spoken, and can do more harm than lying. Many strong spirits have been broken by it. It springs from the lips of thoughtless people each morning and robs us of the courage we need that day. It rings in our ears like a timely sent warning and laughs when we fall by the way.

"Can't" is the father of weak effort, and the parent of fear and half-hearted work. It weakens the efforts of clever craftsmen, and makes people work less. It poisons the soul of a person with an illusion.

It laughs at people's hopes and dreams.

Whatever the goal you are seeking, keep trying, and answer by saying, "I can!" "Can't" is the enemy that is ready to ruin your will. It will only give way to courage, patience and skill. Treat it with strong and continuous hate, for once it is welcomed it can break any man. (160 words) Passage 33 The First Music Road in the U. S.

In the city of Lancaster, there is a wonderful road that can play music. Due to its special design, when cars drive on it, the road will produce beautiful notes.

This road is believed to be the first music road in the U.S.. Citizens have different attitudes towards it. Some of them live near the road. They complain that the road is so noisy that it keeps them awake. But there are still many local people who are in favor of the road. "You drove on it and you didn't know what to happen. When I got to the end, I was smiling from ear to ear," said an old driver. In addition, the city has received hundreds of calls praising the road.

The road has become a tourist attraction and the city has decided to recreate the road in an industrial area away from homes. (146 words)

Passage 34 Easter

Easter is a festival that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. A Sunday between March 22 and April 25 is called Easter Sunday. People eat some cakes during this festival. They also give colorful eggs to each other. It is said that the Earth came from an egg. In England, people write messages and dates on their eggs and give them to friends or loved ones.

A rabbit called the Easter Bunny visits children on Easter Sunday. He often leaves some candy and eggs. So on Easter Sunday morning, children always get up early to find these candy and eggs all around the house. In fact, it is their parents who buy them candy and hide their eggs.

The story of the Easter Bunny’s visit comes from Germany. The story goes that a poor woman hid eggs for her children to find. At the moment they found them, they looked up to see a big rabbit running away.

Passage 35 Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking is a sleep disorder affecting an estimated 10 percent of all humans at least once in their lives. It is far more common in kids than in adults, as most sleepwalkers outgrow it by the early teen years. It may run in families. So if you or your partner are or were sleepwalkers, your child may be too. Other factors that may bring on sleepwalking include lack of sleep, irregular sleep schedules, illness or fever, and stress.

Of course, getting out of bed and walking around while still sleeping is the most obvious sleepwalking symptom. But young sleepwalkers may also sleep talk. Also, sleepwalkers’ eyes are open, bu t they are not awake and may not realize what they’re doing. It’s hard to wake them up. Sleepwalking is not usually a sign that something is emotionally or psychologically wrong with a child. And it doesn't cause any emotional harm. They probably won't even remember the nighttime stroll.

Passage 36 Why Are Some People Left-handed?

Why is a mere 4% of the population left-handed? Most authorities agree, to the relief of many a mother of a left-handed child, that if the child prefers using the left hand, and functions well with it. There is no need to correct this "condition. "

One theory centers on the two halves of the brain, each of which functions differently. Medical science believes that the opposite sides of the body are supplied by the opposite sides of the brain. The predominant left half of the brain, which controls the right half of the body, makes it more skillful in reading, writing and speaking, and makes most people right-handed. "Lefties", however, are the product of an inversion. They also work best with the left side of their bodies.

There is no doubt that all exist in a "right-handed society", which manufactures most basics for the 96%. But don't forget many of the greatest geniuses are left-handed, including Leonardo da Vinci. (159 words)

Passage 37 Summon Up Courage

There were two men who both decided to get a horse for riding. One man found a red horse with much spirit while the other chose one more docile. The two men would go riding together every day. It so happened that one day on the route, there was a ditch about eight or nine feet wide. When coming up to this ditch, the red horse was quick to respond and jumped it with no difficulty. Yet the more docile horse would shrink every time it came to the edge. It would stand on the edge, shaking. Then after a while, coming up to the ditch and watching its companion jump it easily, something happened within it—an idea was born that it could too. So it smoothly jumped over the obstacle.

Life is much like what happened to the two horses. It all comes to a choice whether we look for the spirit within or just stand on the edge and shrink. (162 words)

Passage 38 A Burden You Don’t Deserve

It's easy to blame someone else for your troubles. Yet, when you're truly honest with yourself, it's clear that blaming others will not add the slightest bit of value to your life.

To move your life in the direction you choose to go, you must be willing to take full responsibility for it. That means you must accept that things are not always going to be fair.

Perhaps life has given you a burden you don't deserve. Instead of seeing that as an excuse to give up, see it as an opportunity to give more.

Though you may not have brought your troubles upon yourself, you can still make positive use of them. Choose to take full responsibility for your own situation, and you'll begin to see how you can rise from it to a level that's higher than ever before.

Real success does not result from everything going perfectly. Real success comes when you're willing to move forward no matter what may happen. (164 words)

Passage 39 Culture

Living in a new country means experiencing a different way of life. This is very exciting and interesting! But it can also be a little challenging at times, because the cultures of all countries are unique.

Culture is like an iceberg. You can see some parts of an iceberg—just like you can see some parts of a country's culture when you visit it. For example, you can see different ways of greeting people, hear different languages and observe different festivals and customs. However, a much bigger part of every iceberg is hidden under water. Even though this part of the iceberg is hard to see, it is very important—without it, the iceberg would not exist. The same is true of culture. There are many aspects of it which you cannot see when you visit a different country, for example, the nature of friendship and the importance of time. It will take a long time to understand those values and beliefs. (162 words)

Passage 40 Benjamin Franklin

Franklin's life is full of charming stories which all young men should know— how he sold books in Boston, and became the guest of kings in Europe; how he was made Major General Franklin, only to quit because as he said, he was no soldier, and yet helped to organize the army that stood before the trained troops of England and Germany.

This poor Boston boy, without a day's schooling, became master of six languages and never stopped studying; this neglected apprentice conquered the lightning, made his name famous, received degrees and diplomas from many colleges, and became forever remembered as "Doctor Franklin", philosopher, scientist and political leader.

He built America, for what America is today is largely due to the management, the forethought, the wisdom, and the ability of Benjamin Franklin. He belongs to the world, but especially he belongs to America. (144 words)

Passage 41 Light Pollution

We usually think of pollution as a harmful waste substance that threatens the air and water. But some people have become concerned about another kind of pollution. It can be everywhere, depending on the time of day. And it is not thought of as a substance. It is light.

The idea of light pollution has developed with the increase of lights in cities. In many areas, this light makes it difficult or impossible to observe stars and planets in the night sky. Light pollution threatens to reduce the scientific value of research telescopes.

Light pollution is the result of wasted energy. Bright light that shines into the sky is not being used to provide light where it is needed on Earth. Lights that are brighter than necessary also cause light pollution. Recently, two Italian astronomers and an American environmental scientist created a world map of the night sky. The map shows that North America, Western Europe and Japan have

the greatest amount of light pollution. (165 words)

Passage 42 Monkeys That Eat Less Live Longer

A study of monkeys over a twenty-year period suggests that eating less may extend life and prevent disease. American researchers said they believe their findings could apply to people as well.

Half of the monkeys were permitted to eat as much as they wanted. The other half ate a controlled diet.

The researchers found that thirty-seven percent of the monkeys that ate as much as they wanted had died of causes related to aging after twenty years. In comparison, only thirteen percent of the monkeys on restricted diets had died.

Extended life was not the only observable difference between the two groups. The monkeys that ate less bad half the amount of heart disease and cancer.

In addition, there is also a difference in the appearance. The monkeys that ale less look younger and healthier than fatter monkeys on a normal diet.

The researchers say this study is not complete and that they will continue to observe the remaining monkeys throughout their lives. (163 words)

Passage 43 Dangerous Lead-based Faint Common Around me World

A new study shows that lead-based paint remains a worldwide threat to public health. Paint containing lead is a major cause of lead poisoning in children.

The heavy metal enters the body when children breathe the paint dust or fumes in the air. Or when babies put their mouth on painted surfaces or swallow pieces of paint.

Lead can damage the brain and the nervous system. It can decrease intelligence* create behavior problems and slow a child's growth.

Researchers tested new household paints from twelve countries in Africa, Asia and South America. The paints were sold under different brand names. The study found that almost three-fourths of the brands had dangerously high levels of lead.

The professor says high quality paint can be produced without lead. He and his team are calling for a worldwide ban on lead-based paint. He says many parts of the world are doing too little to correct the problem of lead poisoning in children. He notes that research has found no safe level of lead. (171 words)

Passage 44 Expressions That Are Old and True

A proverb is a short, well-known saying that expresses a common truth or belief. Many proverbs give advice about how to live.

For example, my son is just like his father in many ways. We often say the two of them prove the proverb that the apple does not fall far from the tree.

My daughter is very short. She would like to be taller. But I tell her that good things come in small packages，like diamonds and other jewels. Also, I tell them do not judge a book by its cover. Do not be fooled by appearances.

Another proverb is, do not bite off more than you can chew. This means do not try to do more than you are able to do.

Finally, I always like this proverb: You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Honey is sweet while vinegar is not. In other words, you can win people to your side more easily with gentle persuasion than by hostile actions.

Passage 45 Death Valley: A Beautiful but Dangerous Place

Death Valley is a land of beautiful but dangerous extremes. There are mountains that reach more than three thousand meters into the sky. There is a place called Badwater that is the lowest area of land in the Western Hemisphere. If there were water there, it would be eighty-six meters below the level of the ocean.

Death Valley can be dangerously cold during the winter months. Storms in the mountains can produce sudden flooding on the floor of the Valley. The extreme heat in summer has killed people in the past. It will continue to kill those who do not honor this extreme climate. Death Valley does not forgive those who are not careful.

It is a good example of the violence of nature. However t it would be wrong to think that nothing lives there. The Valley is full of life. Wild flowers grow very quickly after a little rain. Birds, snakes and other animals always enjoy their stay. (159 words)

Passage 46 Death Valley: the Coming of the Name

The area was named by a woman in 1849. That was the year after gold was discovered in California. Thousands of people from other parts of the country traveled to the gold mining areas in California. They were in a hurry to get there before other people did.

Many people were not careful. They made bad choices or wrong decisions. One group trying to reach California decided to take a path called the Old Spanish Trail. By December, they had reached Death Valley. They did not have to survive the terrible heat of summer, but there was still an extreme lack of water. There were few plants for their work animals to eat.

The people could not find a pass through the tall mountains. Gradually, they began to suffer from a lack of food. To survive, they killed their work animals for food and began to walk out of the Valley. As they left, one woman looked back and said, "Good-bye, death valley. " The name has never been changed. (169 words)

Passage 47 An Old Saying

Today we explain a very old saying that has had a big influence on rock-and-roll music. That saying is a rolling stone gathers no moss. It has several meanings. One meaning is that a person who never settles down in one place will not be successful. Another is that someone who is always moving, with no roots in one place, avoids responsibilities.

This proverb was said to be first used in the 1500s. But in the 1960s, the expression rolling stone became famous in the world of rock-and-roll music. It became the name of a rock group, a song and a magazine.

Experts say it all started with a song by the American singer and guitarist Muddy Waters. He was one of the country's top blues musicians until his death in 1983. His music influenced singers like Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. In 1950, Muddy Waters recorded a song called "Rollin" Stone. " (152 words)

Passage 48 Study Finds More Trees on Farms Than Was Thought

Farmers, especially in developing countries, are often criticized for cutting down forests. But a new study suggests that many farmers recognize the value in keeping trees.

Researchers using satellite images found at least ten percent tree cover on more than one billion hectares of farmland. That is almost half the farmland in the world.

Earlier estimates were much lower but incomplete. The authors of the new study say it may still underestimate the true extent worldwide.

The study found that climate conditions alone could not explain the amount of tree cover in different areas. Nor could the size of nearby populations, meaning people and trees can live

together.

There are areas with few trees but also few people, and areas with many trees and many people. The findings suggest that things like land rights, markets or government policies can influence tree planting and protection. (144 words)

Passage 49 Going Digital: California's Textbook Project

California approves traditional textbooks in six-year cycles. Digital ones can offer the latest information. They lighten the load of school bags. They save paper and trees, and make learning more fun and interactive. And lastly they help schools with their finances.

The state has had to make severe cuts in school spending because of deep financial problems. More than six million students attend California public schools.

Earlier this year, California invited content developers to offer digital math and science materials for high schools. These had to meet at least ninety percent of the state's learning requirements. Specially trained teachers examined sixteen textbooks and approved ten of them.

School administrators point out that the texts may be free online, but students need a way to access them. Not everyone has a computer or electronic reader. Schools could print out copies, but that would not help the environment. Also, there is the cost to train teachers to use digital textbooks effectively. (165 words)

Passage 50 American and British English

Language experts say that spoken English was almost the same in the American colonies and Britain. Americans began to change the sound of their speech after the Revolutionary War in 1776. They wanted to separate themselves from the British in language as they had separated themselves from the British government. Webster published The American Dictionary of the English Language in 1828. It established rules for speaking and spelling the words used in American English.

The different languages of the immigrants who came to the United States also helped make American English different from British English. Many foreign words and expressions became part of English as Americans speak it. Sometimes Americans and British people do not understand each other because of different word meanings. For example, a "wastebasket" in America is a "dustbin" in Britain. French fried potatoes in the United States are called "chips" in Britain. All these differences led British writer George Bernard Shaw to joke that Britain and America are two countries separated by the same language. (170 words)

Passage 51 Town and Country Life in England

There is a big difference between town life and country life in England. In the country, everybody knows everybody else. They know what time you get up, what time you go to bed and what you have for dinner. If you want help, you will always get it and you will be glad to help others.

In a large town like London, however, it can sometimes happen that you have never seen your next door neighbor and you do not know his name or anything about him. People in London are often very lonely. This is because people go to different places in the evenings and at weekends. If you walk through the streets in the centre of London on Sunday, it is like a town without people. One is sorry for old people living on their own. They could die in their homes and would not be discovered for weeks or even months.

Passage 52 A Change in Women’s Life

The important change in women’s life-pattern has only recently begun to have its full effect on women’s economic position. Even a few years ago most girls left school at the first opportunity,

and most of them took a full-time job. However, when they married, they usually left work at once and never returned to it. Today the school-leaving age is sixteen, many girls stay at school after that age, and though women tend to marry younger, more married women stay at work at least until shortly before their first child is born. Very many more afterwards return to full-time or part-time work. Such changes have led to a new relationship in marriage, with the husband accepting a greater share of the duties and satisfactions of family life and with both husband and wife sharing more equally in providing the money, and running the home, according to the abilities and interests of each of them.

Passage 53 A Popular Pastime of the English People

One of the best means of understanding the people of any nation is watching what they do with their non-working time.

Most English men, women and children love growing things, especially flowers. Visitors to England in spring, summer or autumn are likely to see gardens all the way along the railway lines. There are flowers at the airports and flowers in factory grounds, as well as in gardens along the roads. Each English town has at least one park with beautifully kept flower beds. Public buildings of every kind have brilliant window boxes and sometimes baskets of flowers are hanging on them. But what the English enjoy most is growing things themselves. If it is impossible to have a garden, then a window box or something growing in a pot will do. Looking at each other’s gardens is a popular pastime with the English.

Passage 54 British and American Police Officers

Real policemen, both in Britain and the U.S., hardly recognize any common points between their lives and what they se on TV—if they ever get home in time.

Some things are almost the same, of course, but the policemen do not think much of them much of them.

The f irst difference is that a policeman’s real life deals with the law. Most of what he learns is the law. He has to know actually what actions are against the law and what facts can be used to prove them in court. He has to know nearly as much law as a lawyer, and what’s more, he has to put it into practice on his feet, in the dark and, running down a narrow street after someone he wants to talk to.

Little of his time is spent in talking with beautiful girls or in bravely facing cruel criminals. He will spend most of his working life arranging millions of words on thousands of fomp3s about hundreds of sad, ordinary people who are guilty--- or not of stupid, unimportant crimes. Passage 55 Living Space

How much living space does a person need? What happens when his space needs are not met? Scientists are doing experiments on rats to try to detemp3ine the effects of overcrowded conditions on man. Recent studies have shown that the behavior of rats is greatly affected by space. If rats have enough living space, they eat well, sleep well and produce their young well. But if their living conditions become too crowded, their behavior and even their health change obviously. They cannot sleep and eat well, and signs of fear and worry become clear. The more crowded they are, and more they tend to bite each other and even kill each other. Thus, for rats, populations and violence are directly related. Is this a natural law for human society as well? Is enough space not only satisfactory, but necessary for human survival? These are interesting questions.

Passage 56 The United Nations

In 1945, representatives of 50 nations met to plan this organization. It was called the United Nations. After the war, many more nations joined.

There are two major parts of the United Nations. One is called the General Assembly. In the General Assembly, every member nation is represented and has an equal vote.

The second part is called the Security Council. It has representatives of just 15 nations. Five nations are pemp3anent members: the United States, Russia, France, Britain, and China. The 10 other members are elected every two years by the General Assembly.

The major job of the Security Council is to keep peace in the world. If necessary, it can send troops from member nations to try to stop little wars before they turn into big ones.

It is hard to get the nations of the Security Council to agree on when this is necessary. But they did vote to try to stop wars.

Passage 57 Plastic

We use plastic wrap to protect our foods. We put our garbage in plastic bags or plastic cans. We sit on plastic chairs, play with plastic toys, drink from plastic cups, and wash our hair with shampoo from plastic bottles!

Plastic does not grow in nature. It is made by mixing certain things together. We call it a produced or manufactured material. Plastic was first made in the 1860s from plants, such as wood and cotton. That plastic was soft and burned easily.

The first modern plastics were made in the 1930s. Most clear plastic starts out as thick, black oil. That plastic coating inside a pan begins as natural gas.

Over the years, hundreds of different plastics have been developed. Some are hard and strong. Some are soft and bendable. Some are clear. Some are many-colored. There is a plastic for almost every need. Scientists continue to experiment with plastics. They hope to find even ways to use them!

Passage 58 Display of Goods

Are supermarkets designed to persuade us to buy more?

Fresh fruit and vegetables are displayed near supemp3arket entrances. This gives the impression that only healthy food is sold in the shop. Basic foods that everyone buys, like sugar and tea, are not put near each other. They are kept in different aisles so customers are taken past other attractive foods before they find what they want. In this way, shoppers are encouraged to buy products that they do not really need.

Sweets are often placed at children’s eye level at the checkout. While parents are waiting to pay, children reach for the sweets and put them in the trolley.

More is bought from a fifteen-foot display of one type of product than from a ten-foot one. Customers also buy more when shelves are full than when they are half empty. They do not like to buy from shelves with few products on them because they feel there is something wrong with those products that are there.

Passage 59 Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein was born in Gemp3any in 1879, His father owned a factory that made electrical devices. His mother enjoyed music and books. His parents were Jewish but they did not observe many of th e religion’s rules. Albert was a quite child who spent much of his time alone. He was slow to talk and had difficulty learning to read. When Albert was five years old, his father gave him a compass. The child was filled with wonder when he discovered that the compass needle always pointed in the same direction—to be north. He asked his father and his uncle what caused

the needle to move. Their answers about magnetism and gravity were difficult for the boy to understand. Yet he spent a lot of time thinking about them. He said later that he felt something hidden had to be behind things.

Passage 60 Private Cars

With the increase in the general standard of living, some ordinary Chinese families begin to afford a car. Yet opinions of the development of a private car vary from person to person.

It gives a much greater degree of comfort and mobility. The owner of a car is no longer forced to reply on public transport, and hence no irritation caused by waiting for buses or taxis. However, others strongly object to developing private cars. They maintain that as more and more cars are produced and run in the street, a large volume of poisonous gas will be given off, polluting the atmosphere and causing actual hamp3 to the health of people.

Whether private cars should be developed in Chicago is a difficult question to answer, yet the desire for the comfort and independence a private car can bring will not be eliminated.

Passage 61 A Henpecked Husband and His Wife

There was once a large, fat woman who had a small, thin husband. He had a job in a big company and was given his weekly wages every Friday evening. As soon as he got home on Fridays, his wife used to make him give her all his money, and then she used to give him back only enough to buy his lunch in his company every day.

One day, the small man came home very excited. He hurried into the living-room. His wife was listening to the radio and eating chocolates there.

“You will never guess what happened to me today, dear.‖ he said.

He waited for a few seconds and then a dded, ―I won ten thousand dollars on the lottery!‖

“That is wonderful! ‖ said his wife delightedly. But then she pulled a long face and added angrily, ―But how could you afford to buy the ticket?‖

Passage 62 A Young Man’s Promise

One day, a young man was writing a letter to his girlfriend who lived just a few miles away in a nearby town. He was telling her how much he loved her and how wonderful he thought she was. The more he wrote the more poetic he became. Finally he said that in order to be with her, he would suffer the greatest difficulties, he would face the greatest dangers that anyone couldn’t imagine. In fact, to spend only one minute with her, he would swim across the widest river, he would enter the deepest forest, and he would fight against the fiercest animals with his bare hands. He finished the letter, signed his name and then suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to mention something quite important. So, in a postscript below his name, he added:

“By the way, I’ll be over to see you on Wednesday night, if it doesn’t rain.‖

Passage 63 A Kind Neighbor

Mr. and Mrs. Jones’ apartment was full of luggage, packages, furniture and boxes. Both of them were very busy when they heard the doorbell ring. Mrs. Jones went to open it and she saw a middle-aged lady outside. The lady said she lived next door. Mrs. Jones invited her to come in and apologized because there was no place for her to sit. ―Oh, that’s OK.‖ said the lady. ―I just come to welcome to your new home. As you know, in some parts of this city, neighbors are not friendly at all. They are some apartment houses where people don’t know any of their neighbors, not even the ones next door. But in this building, everyone is very friendly with everyone else. We are a big happy family. I am sure you w ill be very happy here.‖ Mr. and Mrs. Jones said, ―But madam, we are not new dwellers in this apartment. We’ve lived here for two years. We are moving out

tomorrow.‖

Passage 64 That Isn’t Our Fault

Mr. and Mrs. Williams got married when he was twenty-three, and she was twenty. Twenty-five years later, they had a big party, and a photographer came and took some photographs of them. Then the photographer gave Mrs. Williams a card and said, ―They’ll be ready next Wednesday. You can get them from studio.‖

“No,‖Mrs. Williams said, ―Please send them to us.‖

The photographs arrived a week later, but Mrs. Williams was not happy when she saw them. She got into her car and drove to the photographer’s studio. She went inside and said angrily, ―You took some photograph s of me and my husband last week, but I’m not going to pay for them.‖“Oh, why not?‖ the photographer asked.

“Because my husband looks like a monkey,‖ Mrs. Williams said.

“Well,‖ the photographer answered, ―that isn’t our fault. Why didn’t you think of tha t before you married him?‖

Passage 65 A Guide's Answer

In 1861, the Civil War started in the United States between the Northern and the Southern states. The war continued with great bitterness until 1865, when the Northerners were victorious. However, even today, many Southerners have not forgotten their defeat, or forgiven the Northerners.

A few years ago, a party of American tourists were going round one of the battlefields of the Civil War with a guide who came from one of the Southern states. At each place, the guide told the tourists stirring stories about how a few Southern soldiers had conquered powerful forces of Northerners there.

At last, one of the tourists, a lady who came from the North, stopped the guide and said to him, ― But surely that the Northern amp3y must have won at least one victory in the Civil War?‖

“Not as long as I’m the guide here, madam,‖ answered the Southern guide.

Passage 66 A Qualified Pilot

The captain of a small ship had to go along a rocky coast, but he was unfamiliar with it, so he tried to find a qualified pilot to guide him. He went ashore in one of the small ports, and a local fishemp3an pretended that he was a pilot because he needed some money. The captain took him on board and asked him where to steer the ship.

After half an hour, the captain began to suspect that the fishemp3an did not really know what he was doing and where he was going.

“Are you sure you are a qualified pilot?‖ he asked.

“Oh, yes,‖ answered the fishemp3an. ―I know every rock on this part of the coast.‖

Suddenly there was a terrible crash from under the ship. At once the fishemp3an added, ―And that’s one of them.‖

Passage 67 Living Things React

You and all organisms live an environment. An environment is made up of everything that surrounds an organism. It can include the air, the water, the soil, and even other organisms.

An organism responds to changes in its environment. When an organism responds to a change, it reacts in certain ways. All living things respond in some way.

Have you ever noticed how plants and insects respond to light? Plants bend toward light. Insects fly toward light.

Living things also respond in other ways. The leaves on some trees respond to a change in season. In autumn, they change colors and then fall off the branches Animals also respond to a change in season. Squirrels save nuts for the winter. Bears sleep through the winter in a cave.

You respond to your environment in many ways, too. You may shiver if you are cold. What other ways do you respond to changes in your environment?

Passage 68 Flowering Plants

What are the parts of a flower?

Flowers can have male parts and female parts. The female parts make eggs that become seeds. The male parts make pollen. Pollen is a powdery material that is needed by the eggs to make seeds. To make seeds, pollen and eggs must come together. The wind, insects, and birds bring pollen to eggs. Many animals love flowers’ bright colors. They also like a sugary liquid in flowers. This is called nectar. While they drink nectar, pollen rubs off on their bodies. As they move, some of this pollen gets delivered to the female flower parts.

Over time, the female parts turn into fruits that contain seeds. Animals often eat the fruits and the seeds pass through their bodies as waste. The animals do not know they are working for the plants by planting seeds as they travel to different places!

Passage 69 Finding the Direction and Location

How can you tell which direction? By day, look for the Sun. It is in the east in the morning and the west in the afternoon. At night, use the Big Dipper to help you find the North Star. It would be better to bring a compass because its needle always points north.

How do you know how far you have gone? You could count every step. Each step is about two feet. You’d better wear a pedometer which is a tool that counts steps. If you know where you started, which direction you are heading, and how far you have gone, you can use a good map to figure out exactly where you are.

Today there is a new way for travelers to figure out where they are. It is the GPS. It has 24 satellites that orbit the earth and constantly broadcast their positions. Someday you may carry a small receiver as you hike and use GPS to find out if you are there yet!

Passage 70 Waves

How does light get from the sun to the earth? How does music get from the stage to the audience? They move the same way-----in waves!

Light and sound are fomp3s of energy. All waves carry energy, but they may carry it differently. Light and sound travel through different kinds of matter. For example, light waves cannot move through walls, but sound waves can. That is why you can hear people talking in another room even though you cannot see them. The energy of some waves is destructive. An earthquake produces seismic waves.

Catch a wave. Ask a friend to stand a few feet away from you. Stretch a spring between you. Shake the spring to transfer energy to it. What happens? The spring bounces up and down in waves. When the waves reach your friend, they bounce back to you!

Light waves travel 300,000 kilometers (186,000 miles) per second! They can also travel through a vacuum. That is why light from the sun and distant stars can travel through space to the earth!

Passage 71 Soils

There are many different kinds of soils. Different soils have different types of rock and minerals in them. Some soils have more water in them than others. Some soils might have more plant and

animal material in them, too.

Different kinds of soils are found in different parts of the world. There are several kinds of soils found in the United States. In some areas, the soil has a lot of clay. Other soils are very sandy. Loam is a kind of soil that has a good mixture of clay and sand.

In some places, soil layers are very thick. Lots of plants grow in places with a thick soil layer. In dry and windy places soil layers are much thinner. Layers of soil on mountains are thin because gravity pulls the soil downhill.

The type of soil in a particular place affects what kinds of plants can grow there.

Passage 72 Crisis

Life is a contest! Who will win? A bluebird and sparrow both compete for space to build their nests. A fast-growing maple tree and slower-growing dogwood compete for the sunlight they both need. Oil competes with coal and nuclear power as an energy source for electric power plants! There is a problem. There is a limited amount of space for birds, sunlight for trees, and energy for people! If we do not cut back on our uses of some of our resources, someday they will be gone! How can we use energy today and know we will have enough to go around in the future? We can choose alternate, or replacement, energy resources. It takes the earth millions of years to create coal, oil, and gas. They are nonrenewable resources.

Solar energy, wind energy and water energy are renewable resources. It takes the earth millions of years to create coal, oil, and gas. They are nonrenewable resources.

Solar energy, wind energy and water energy are renewable. What other ways can we conserve our sources? How can we make sure there is always enough to go around?

Passage 73 America’s Worst Surprise

December 7, 1941 was one of the worst days in American history. Nearly all Americans who are old enough to remember that day can still remember what they were doing at the moment they heard ―the news‖. The news was that America had been attacked!

Shortly before 2:00 P.M., a radio dispatch came into Washington from Honolulu, Hawaii. ―Air Raid, Pearl Harbor—This is no drill.‖ Japanese planes had begun an attack on the largest American military base in the Pacific. They first destroyed planes on the ground. Then they bombed the ships in the harbor.

No one had expected the attack. So no one was prepared for it. And it did not take long for Japanese to do their damage. When the smoke cleared, the Navy counted its losses. Eighteen ships had been sunk or badly damaged. Nearly 150 planes had been destroyed. More than 2,400 Americans had been killed and more than 1,200 wounded.

Passage 74 Great Depression in the U.S.

In 1929, the bills started to come in. American industry had produced too many goods. Americans could not afford to buy all of them. So factories had to cut down on their production. Many workers lost their jobs. Investors tried to get their money back. But businesses did not have enough money to pay them. Banks tried to get their money back from investors. But the investors could not pay, either. Too many people owed money. And few of them could pay their bills. During the next few years, business got worse and worse. By 1932, banks all over the country were closing.

People without money could not buy goods. So more businesses closed. More and more people lost their jobs. By 1932, more than 12 million Americans were jobless. Millions more were earning barely enough to live on. The country was in a great depression they had never

四级听力50篇原文1--10

1.Town and Country Life in England There is a big difference between town life and country life in England. In the country, everybody knows everybody else. They know what time you get up, what time you go to bed and what you have for dinner. If you want help, you will always get it and you will be glad to help others. In a large town like London, however, it can sometimes happen that you have never seen your next door neighbor and you do not know his name or anything about him. People in London are often very lonely. This is because people go to different places in the evenings and at weekends. If you walk through the streets in the centre of London on Sunday, it is like a town without people. One is sorry for old people living on their own. They could die in their homes and would not be discovered for weeks or even months. 2. A Change in Women’s Life The important change in women’s life-pattern has only recently begun to have its full effect on women’s economic position. Even a few years ago most girls left school at the first opportunity, and most of them took a full-time job. However, when they married, they usually left work at once and never returned to it. Today the school-leaving age is sixteen, many girls stay at school after that age, and though women tend to marry younger, more married women stay at work at least until shortly before

英语专业四级听写训练

英语专业四级听写训练54：Cars in the Future As big cars cause many problems,such as pollution, shortage of parking space,crowded traffic,scientists are now trying to design some small cars that may some day replace today’s big automobiles.If more people begin to drive such cars in the future,there will be less air pollution. There will also be more space for parking cars in cities,and the streets will be less crowded.Three such cars can fit in the space that is now needed for one car of the usual size. The little cars will cost much less to own and to drive.Driving will be safer as these cars can only go 60 kilometers per hour. The cars of the future will be fine for driving around the city.However, they will not be suitable for long trips,because these cars by petrol can only go 450 kilometers before needing to stop for refueling 英语专业四级听写训练53：Dining Custom in the USA Dining Custom in the USA Americans, like many people elsewhere in the world, like to invite friends to their homes for an evening of food,drink and conversation. Formal dinners in fine homes and hotels in the US are much the same as formal dinners anywhere in the world. But as most people in the US have no servants,their dinner parties at home tend to be informal. Guests may sit down at a table,or as many new small homes have no separate dining room or very small dining space. Guests can also serve themselves and eat in the living room, holding their plates or trays on their knees. A more enjoyable form of entertainment is the picnic. Americans are great picnickers and almost every family has a picnic basket. Summer invitations are often for a picnic at a park or in the open countryside, and less hamburgers or hot dogs are cooked over a fire. Picnic food is usually cold.

专四听力50篇答案.doc

Popular Pastime of the English People One of the best means of understanding the people of any nation is watching what the do with their non-working time. Most English men, women and children love growing things, especially flowers. Visitors to England in spring, summer or autumn are likely to see gardens all they way along the railway lines. There are f lowers at the airports and flowers in factory grounds, as well as in gardens along the roads. Each English town has at least one park with beautifully kept flower beds. Public buildings of every kind have brilliant window boxes and sometimes baskets of flowers are hanging on them. But what the English enjoy most is growing things themselves. If it is impossible to have a garden, then a window box or something growing in a pot will do. Looking at each other ’s gardens is a popular pastime with the English. 4. British and American Police Officers Real policemen, both in Britain and the ., hardly recognize any commonpoints between their lives and what they se on TV — if they ever get home in time. Some things are almost the same, of course, but the policemen do not think much of them much of them. The first difference is that a policeman ’s real life deals with the law. Most of what he learns is the law. He has to know actually what actions are against the law and what facts can be used to prove them in court. He has to know nearly as much law as a lawyer, and what ’s more, he has to put it into practice on his feet, in the dark and, running down a narrow street after someone he wants to talk to. Little of his time is spent in talking with beautiful girls or in bravely facing cruel criminals. He will spend most of his working life arranging millions of words on thousands of forms about hundreds of sad, ordinary people who are guilty--- or not of stupid, unimportant crimes. Useful Words and Expressions: 1. think much of 重视，尊重 2. in court 在法庭上 3. criminal 罪犯，犯罪者 4. guilty 犯罪的，有罪的 5. Living Space How much living space does a person need What happens when his space needs are not met Scientists are doing experiments on rats to try to determine the effects of overcrowded conditions on man. Recent studies have shown that the behavior of rats is greatly affected by space. If rats have enough living space, they eat well, sleep well and produce their young well. But if their living conditions become too crowded, their behavior and even their health change obviously. They can not sleep and eat well, and signs of fear and worry become clear. The more crowded they are, and more they tend to bite each other and even kill each other. Thus, for rats, populations and violence are directly related. Is this a natural law for human society as well Is enough space not only satisfactory, but necessary for human survival These are interesting questions.

2005专四听写部分参考答案

05专四听写部分参考答案 The Wrist Watch It is generally believed that wrist watches are an exception / to the normal sequence in the evolution of man's jewelry. / Reversing the usual order, they were first worn by women, / and then adopted by men. / In the old days, queens included wrist watches among their crown jewelry. / Later, they were worn by Swiss workers and farmers. / Until World War I, Americans associated the watch with fortune hunters. / Then army officers discovered that the wrist watch was most practical for active combat. / Race car drivers also loved to wear wrist watches, / and pilots found them most useful while flying. / Soon men dared to wear wrist watches without feeling self-conscious. / By 1924, some 30 percent of man's watches were worn on the wrist. / Today, the figure is 90 percent. / And they are now worn by both men and women / for practical purposes rather than for decoration.

专四听写与听力理解上外出版12套模拟题第6-12套答案

专四听写与听力理解上外12套模拟题答案6-12 Model Test 6 Authority and Creativity In many countries, authority is seldom questioned, either because it is highly respected, or because it is feared . Sometimes, too, because rank has been important in certain societies for a long time, people have been trained never to question those in authority. In other countries, including America, children are trained to question and search for answers. When a child asks a question, he will often be told to go to the library and find the answer for himself. By the time students reach the age of 14 or 15, they may be developing exciting new ideas in all fields of science and arts . To encourage such creativity, there are many national prizes offered to students every year for their scientific discoveries and artistic accomplishments. This interest in questioning and searching may be considered by some people as bad for young people's manners. This impression may be created when visitors notice young Americans asking questions and arguing with older people . 1-5 CABDB 6-10 DCBDC 11-15 DACBC 16-20 DCADC 21-25 CBDBA 26-30 CDBAC Model Test 7 Driving in the US When driving in the United States, it’s a good idea to have an internaitonal driver’s license if you don’t have a state license. Each of the 50 states has its own traffic laws. For example, in some states drivers can pump their own gas at “self-service islands”, while in others this is not allowed. Drivers are expected to know and understand the laws even if they don’t live in the state. Get information when you cross the border into a state at a tourist information center. There is a national speed limit of 55 miles per hour, or about 80 kilometers per hour. Americans usually start and stop slowly and are generally polite about letting cars enter busy streets. They usually stop for people who are walking and let them cross the street first. In many states, you may turn right after stopping at a corner, even if there a red light. 1-5 DBABB 6-10 CCBBD 11-15 CBACD 16-20 BAACD 21-25 BABBD 26-30 CDADB Model Test 8 Why Do People Smoke

英语专业四级听写50篇(完整版)

英语专业四级听写50篇 前言 听写在英语专业四级统考中占有15％的比重，是考试的重要组成部分。 说起听写，正在准备和已经参加过英语专业四级考试的同学会说： “我能明白听写的内容，可写的时候就是跟不上！”“短文大意我明白，可是有的语我不 会写。” 这只反映出了问题的两个方面。一是听写速度不够快。二是词汇量不够或词汇掌握得不够准确。这些无疑是影响听写成绩的重要因素。但是，这些不是问题的全部。在从事听写教学及听写问卷过程中，很容易发现学生失分的具体问题： （1）没听懂，没听好，听写速度跟不上，写出的内容断断续续不连贯，学生因此大量失分； （2）有的词汇没听懂，拼写不够准确，这导致听写失分； （3）时态错误导致失分； （4）单复数不准确导致失分； （5）没有注意断句或专有名词，句子开头单词或专有名词错误使用大小写导致失分； （6）没有注意原文冠词的使用，书写时漏掉冠词导 致失分； （7）没有注意单数第三人称形式导致失分； （8）没有注意单数复数名词的形式导致失分。 上述问题的产生有的是缺乏训练造成的，如书写速度跟不上。有的则是语言基础较 差造成的，如听力较差没有完全听懂或没有掌握好词汇。而单复数、大小写、冠词漏写 等则多是粗心大意造成的。 听写部分能提高吗？ 当然能！而且提高的空间很大。 笔者从事英语专业基础教学与研究，从一开始所带的教学班参加四级考试超过全国 院校平均通过率28．2个百分点，超过全国专业外语院校平均通过率12．5个百分点开始，所带的教学班在全国英语专业④级统考中通过率始终ito％，平均成绩、优秀率始终名列 前茅。最近一次所带的教学班参加四级统考，又考出了很好的成绩，通过率超过全国院 校平均水平26石个百分点，超过全国专业外语院校13．6个百分点，而且在十几个平行 班中平均成绩是最高的，优秀人数也是最多的。在四级考试中，听写一项的成绩也不例外，每次均位居第一，本项目满分15分，所带班级平均成绩能够达到14分。 是不是学生基础很好？统计表明，和平行班相比所带班级入学时并不存在什么特别 优势。 教学经验表明，听写成功的关键是训练方法和体现训练方法的训练材料。 听写训练过程中无论是老师还是学生都有必要注意以下几点： 二．扭握淤轿肘虚度大纲要求第一遍用正常速

2011英语专四听力真题及答案

PART Ⅰ DICTATION 1. Listen to the following passage. Altogether the passage will be read to you four times. During the first reading, which will be done at normal speed, listen and try to understand the meaning. For the second and third readings, the passage will be read sentence by sentence, or phrase by phrase, with intervals of 15 seconds. The last reading will be done at normal speed again and during this time you should check your work. You will then be given 2 minutes to check through your work once more. Please write the whole passage on ANSWER SHEET ONE. In the late 1970s, air travel became affordable for the average family in the UK, and more people started travelling abroad for their summer holidays. After all, the British weather wasn’t ver y good, even in summer, so a lot of people left the country for a vacation. In the 1980s and 1990s, young people in the UK became wealthier on average. As a result, they started to go abroad in groups to places such as Spain and Greece. Once they arrived at their destination, they met with other groups of young people and had one long party. British holidaying habits have begun to change, however. Climate change means that the UK now has a hotter climate, so people do not need to go overseas to find good weather. Also, going abroad is more expensive. As a result, more British people are choosing to spend their summer holidays in the UK. PART Ⅱ LISTENING COMPREHENSION In Sections A, B and C you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the best answer to each question on Answer Sheet Two. SECTION A CONVERSATIONS In this section you will hear several conversations. Listen to the conversations carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Questions 1 to 3 are based on the following conversation. At the end of the conversation, you will be given 15 seconds to answer the questions. Now, listen to the conversation. 1. Which of the statements about the auto show is INCORRECT? A The show will have more stands this year. B The show will have more visitors this year. C The number of overseas visitors will be the same this year. D The number of exhibition days will be the same this year. 2. According to the conversation, the price for a stand would include A a catalogue B a poster C two desks D four chairs.

专四听写200篇

四级听写 1. Insects Nobody likes insects. They are annoying and sometimes dangerous. Some of them bite us and give us diseases; others bite us and give us big red spots. Some do not bite, but just fly around our heads or crawl around our houses and gardens. / Indeed, we do not like most of them except those lovely butterflies. / But insects are interesting. Firstly, they are very old animals. Three hundred and twenty million years ago, there were no man in the world, but there were insects. Today, on every square mile of land there are millions of them flying and crawling about. Secondly, insects are very adaptable to their surroundings, so that today there are about a million different species in the world. Why then do some people try to kill insects? After all, not many of them hurt us. The reason is that they eat so much of man’s food and there are so many of them. (158 words) 2. A Protest against Injustice It all started on a bus one day in 1955. A black woman was returning home from work after a long hard day. She sat near the front of the bus because she was tired and her legs hurt. But in those days, black people could sit only in the back of the bus. So the driver ordered the woman to give up her seat. But the woman refused, and she was arrested. Incidents like this had happened before. But no one had ever spoken out against such treatment of blacks. This time, however, a young black preacher organized a protest. He called on all black citizens to stop riding the buses until the laws were changed. He led the protest movement to end such injustice to the blacks. The protest marked the beginning of the civil rights movement in the United States. (146 words) 3. Foolish Tests Centuries ago, a man accused of a crime / often had to go through a strange test. / In one country, for instance, a metal bar was dropped into boiling oil. / The prisoner had to put his hand into the oil and take out the bar. / It was believed that the oil would not burn an innocent man. / If the prisoner got his hand burned, he would be found guilty of the crime he was accused of. / Another foolish method was used in Europe. / When a man was accused of a crime, he was thrown into a pool or river. / If he floated, people declared that he was guilty. / They took him out of the water and punished him. / However, if the man sank, people claimed that he was innocent. / They pulled him out of the water quickly and released him. / We do not know what would have happened / if the man had learned to swim under the water. (160 words) 4. Why Do People Want Work? People work because they need money to live. / They need money for food and clothes and to pay for their houses, flats or the rooms where they live. / People need money for

2019年12月英语四级听力50篇：45 The Influence of Life

2019年12月英语四级听力50篇：45 The Influence of Life 2018年12月英语四级听力50篇汇总 英语四级听力50篇：45 The Influence of Life In the early times when human beings hunted and gathered food, they were not in control of their environment. They could only interact with their surroundings as the other lower animals did. When they learned to make fire, however, they became capable of altering their environment. To provide themselves with fuel, they cut down trees. They also burned clearings in forests to increase the growth of grass and to provide a greater grazing area for the wild animals that human beings fed upon. This development led to famp3ing and the domestication of animals. Fire provided the means for cooking plants which had previously been inedible. Only when the process of meeting the basic need for food reached a certain level was it possible for humans to follow other pursuits such as setting up families, fomp3ing societies and founding cities. Useful words and Expressions： 1. interact with 与……组合 2. clearing 空旷地 3. grazing 放牧，牧草 4. domestication 驯养，驯服

2011年专四听听力原文及答案

PART II LISTENING COMPREHENSION SECTION A CONVERSATIONS Questions 1 to 3 are based on the following conversation. At the end of the conversation, you will be given 15 seconds to answer the questions. Now, listen to the conversation. Woman: Good afternoon, International Trade Center Exhibition Services. How can I help? Man: Oh, hello. I’d like some information about exhibiting at the International Auto Mobile Show. Woman: The Auto Show? So, what would you like to know? Man: First, can you give me an idea of how big the fair is? Woman: Well, 121 companies had stands last year and that figure should be up to 140 this time. Man: Sorry, how many? Woman: 140. Man: What about visiting numbers? Woman: Over the two days, we had 6500 vis itors, so with more stands we’d hope for more people this time. Man: And where did they to be said come from? Woman: About 57% were from overseas: America and Europe, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. The remained were local people. Man: That’s interesting, now, a few practical questions. We’re thinking of taking a stand about 45 square meters. How much will that cost? Woman: $400 per square meter. Man: Sorry, can you give me the cost again? Woman: Yes. It’s $400. So if you’re looking at 45 square met ers, it would be, let me see, $18000. But that’s just the cost for a basic stand. Man: What does the price include? Woman: You get a list in a catalogue in both Chinese and English, some basic furniture——a desk and four chairs, and electricity in lighting. Man: So anything else would be extra like a poster. Woman: That’s right Questions 4 to 7 are based on the following conversation. At the end of the conversation, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions. Now, listen to the conversation. Man: Hello Linda. Woman: Hello Jim. Man: I’m thinking of invest in your new educational computer that your company has produced and I’m interested in the advertise campaign. Woman: Oh, thank you. What would you like to know? Man: I’ve read your campaign plan. It looks ok. I only have a couple of questions mainly about where you intend to place these advertisements.